Flagpole and operating means therefor



' April 27, 1948. R. ELLIS FLAGPOLE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 14, 1944 ulll l lilhn April 27, 1- 948.

R. ELLIS FLAGPOLE AND OPERATING MEANS THEREFOR Filed April 14, 1944 2 Sheets- -Sheet 2 n B F v I INVENTOR.

Patented Apr. 27, 1948 FEAGPOLE- OPERATING? MEANS THEREFOR ItohertElli's, Bellevil le Ni J: Application-Awn ng 1944; .SerialINo. 530,954,

(01. nsj-i-iwslj 8. Claims, 1:

This invention relates toaaflagepole andiioperateing-means' therefor; and isza.continuationzinparti application on my pendingpatent: on Flag-pole: and 2 flag manipu1ating:means',.filed' .May 8;. 19.43;. and bearing SeriaLNumber 486;129.-,.nows1?atent No. 2,377,219, granteiMay'ZQ; 1945.

One .of the principal: obj ects; of. thisiinvention is the provision ofrmeanssfor: permittingpr cans-- ing the flag to fly. in .such: mannersthat itwill not? become Wrapped aroundTthaflaga-pole inia changa ing wind. i 1 A further object. ofjithe invention-i the;provision of novelmeans:forrhousingcthezfiagi when; not; flying, within the; hollow flag-pole; and in= cidentally eliminate. the; inconvenience of: tying: anduntying the flag; to the:;op.erating: rope" each; day. l I

A still furtherobj ectzohth-ezinventionfisj the. pro;- v

. vision ofqmeans for-causingthefiagato:enterrantl:

to be withdrawn from the hollow fiagqepoleqby the: convenient application .of va vsimpleacrank to-rai-reelz atthe base of the pole...

A still further object ofthe inventionis;the;:proe vision of means ior permitting;theflagtorfly'at halfmast.

And a still further 055' ectiofiithe inventionis the provision of means renderinga theefiagsand: op:-n erating: means absolutely tamper'rproofigi I Other and further objects will appeaninsthe; specifications rand b'er specifically-pointed? out in the appended .claims,. referencezbleing;'hadrto the; accompanying drawings exemplifyingzthesinvention and in which: 3

Fig. 1 is a general. vertical view.ofsitheaflag.-- pole showing the: fiag in.:flyingaposition;

Fig. 2 1is a vertical:cross sectionaonithe line 2'2 of Fig. 3, showing theiupperiend of: the flage. pole. x

Fig. 3 is a vertical crosssection on.;the line 3;.3: of Fig. 2; r

Fig. 4 is a vertical view v.of th lmiddleaportiongof the flag-pole.

Fig. 5 is a. verticalllcross sectionaliwiewz;onrrthel line 5.-.-5 0f Fig.4. I i

Fig. 6 is avertical.crossxsection'al.view onuthe line 6-(iof Fig; 7 andshowsthetlower. operating portion of theflagepole:

Fig. 7 is. a, vertical. cross sectional:- view on; the line 1-.--1'of Fig.6: 0 v

Fig. 8 shows :thegface;of,:the-=clutch=piate-at=- tachedtothereel:

Fig; ,9 shows the;-faceof itheaclutcht-plate at-i tached to the reel housing. x 1

Fig. 10 showsagfront nviewi ofi-itheaope fating r 2 Fig; 11 shows a vertical viewof. a. modification. Ofzth&:t0piO f thefiag-pole.

F 12 is-ayerticalcross section on the. line 12-12 of Fig. .11,

g. v 13 is atop-cross sectionaliview. on the .line' l 3 l 3:0f.F 'ig: 1. 7

Referring; to thedrawings in. which like. char acters and-numerals .of refr'ence refer to similar parts throughout. the .several.views, the, numeral" [5. denotes a hollow. flag-polasection; preferably;

constructecb of metal I pipe, firmly set upright in the-ground. 16.01. equivalnthase. To. the upper? endof thenfiag -pole section. l5'; is attached; as" by means. of. the screw threads LT, .thej'reel-housin'gf.

Y I8Qand totheupperend iof thereel-housing'is at taehed, in-a similar manner, th -.middlehollow; flag-polesectionv l 9; v To the upperend of "theimid dle section. lsriscsecurely attached; as; by. screw threadsulil; the collar .20." Welded to or otherwise firmly att'ached .tbthecollar 2021s .theilowerr'ace ring 21 0f an axialfthrust bearih .theiaforemeijfi tioned parts. comprisinglthe stationary portion of the flagrpole.

v 'lo the upper. .end. of the stationary. portiongof the: fiagvpole is. .revolvably. mounted.- the hollow" fla -,pole-extensioniL preferably. constructedioff thin-steel .tubing .therlower partk-oilwhich' proj jcts into the-hollow. interior ofmiddle fiaglpole' section. 19 .a sufiicient .ldistance asiat 25 to steady;

the.flag-apolerextension. 2'2Ylateral1'y. whileb'ein'gi. free to revolvetherein. Press fitted to andaroufidl the. circumference of the fiagepole extension 22. aretheupper racetrirlgifi of' the axial thrust ball bearing and thetweather shielding collar; '24; as

5 shown. It -will-ithiis =-be. evident that the flagi- 'pole extension .2 2-Iis free toirevolve a numberfoflrevold tions,.1imit edonly. by. the-torsional stress applied. toithattpartof rope -34 T between thepulley. 32am reel :41 on. a vertical Lam's onball bearings in' relationr toathe stationary; part of the fiagrp'olei The lower end.- 25 of the...fiagpol extension; 22i"is reamednomthe .inside-asaat 26-? so as. to prevent the ropestandfflaggfiioml chafing. and tearingJon theedg'es.

To the uppenend-ohthe flag poleextension. 22.. isssecured-g-as eby solderingi or. 1 welding, theloweri halt- 21m aniornamentalr mallow hall. theu-pper. half 28-thereoi2 being provided. with a "circular flanged 9 which its :qvier the upper portion of. the lower half 21: of the ballas shown aften the shaft" 30 is first inserted l intothe U-shaped s cut outs $5"- onlthe perimeter of the half 21,;thegends 0f th .i h fi einezth ead d nd-th tw l e q the balL-ZI and Z8 respectively;being-then rigidly cla ncd hen o b he-111M .AgmWe Pn y trated and as the circumference of the pulley is close to the inner side of the ball halves, the rope 34 cannot jump out of the pulley groove. After rope 34 passes over pulley 32, both of which are invisible from the outside, it passes through hole 35 at the lower part of lower hollow ball half 21, just outside of the confines of flag-pole extension 2'2 as shown and is attached, as by stitching or tying, to flag 36. When leaving the bottom part of flag 36, the rope will now bear number 31 and has attached to it a-numberof if desired. Access to interior of housing I8 is secured by removing cover 54 which is attached by screws as shown. In order to raise the flag to flying position, all that is necessary is to insert crank point 44 as previously described and reverse the turning movement as will be readily understood, the flag 36 then emerging upward out of interior of flag-pole through hole 39 ready to fly.

It will be evident that the flag and ropes are tamper-proof, being inaccessible unless the flagpole is climbed to the top thereof, a most unlikely occurrence. In order to prevent tampering with "the reel 4|, as by pushing a, stick through hole 45,

I provide a spring snap cover 55, pivoted to the housing |8 by a rivet 56, see Fig. 10, this cover also being provided with a corresponding unconventional triangular hole 51 to fit the tip 44 of crank leaden balls 38, the function of which will .be

later explained. Rope 31 now enters elongated hole. 39 near the lower end of visible portion of flag-pole extension 22, and is run through the interior of the lower part of hollow flag-pole section 22 and the hollow flag-pole section 19, the end of rope 31 terminating in a weight 46 while the end of rope 34 is attached to reel 4| within housing l8. The edges of holes35 and 39 are beaded on the outside as shown so as to eliminate chafing of the ropes and flag when hauled therethrough and incidentally. to divert trickling rain from'the ball and pole. From the foregoing description it will be evident that the flag 36 may be blown in anydirection by the wind and thus cause the flag-pole extension 22 to easily revolve in compliance therewith on its ball bearing support, the ropes 34 and 31 notgetting twisted r tangled around each other within the hollow flag-pole during suchrevolving movement.

In order to lower the flag from flying position, all that is necessary is for a person to grasp the handle 42 of crank 43 after inserting unconventionally shaped point 44, such as an isoscelestriangle, through hole 45 in housing 9 and into corresponding unconventional triangular hole46 in end of shaft 41 to which reel 4| is attached. Shaft 31 is ,revolvable in bearings 48 and 49, both fixed to the housing I78. A helical spring 50 surrounds one endoi shaft 41 as illustrated and is normally tensioned in the direction of arrow so that face of reel 4| is pressed against face of bearing 49. The contact face of the reel 4|, see Fig. 8, is provided with a number of radially extending slots 52 into which thecorrespondingly formed radially extending projections 53, see Fig. 9, fit, thus preventing'the reel 4| from revolving under normal conditions. However, when the point 44 of crank 43 is'inserted into hole 46at end of shaft 41 and pressed inward against tension of spring 50, the slots 52 will disengage from projections 53 and the reel4| will then be free to revolve in either direction according to which way the crank 43 is turned. By turning the crank 43 counterclockwise, the flag 36 with balls 38 will be hauled downwards, due to the greater pull of weight 46, through hole 39 and into the hollow interior of flag-pole extension 22 andmiddle flag pole section l9, where the flag is designed to remain when drawn from housing l8 whereupon the spring 50 immediately forces the slotted'face' of reel 4| into theprojectionsa53 of bearing 49, thus causing theflag 36 to remain stationary insideof hollowpole sections I9 and 22. The flag 36 may be hauled down through the interior of the hollow pole and through the'opening in the housing to the outside where another flag may be substituted 7 not flying. -At this point, th crank 431s with- 43. The cpver 55 is preferably constructed from spring sheet metal so that it will snap in place between the two V-shaped projections 56 attached to outside of housing |8.'the dotted lines illustrating the closed position .in vwhichithe cover 55 would cover hole 45 in housing 'IBandthuspreVent' access thereto by unauthorized persons. To swing cover 55 for access to hole 45 and back again, the crank point is merely inserted into hole 51 and used as a lever as shown by dotted lines 43 and 42. It will thus be evident that asingle simple tool,

the crank 43, isiall that is necessary to operate.

the flag and incidentallyit'o protect the operating means from tamperers. 7

Should it .be desired tofly the flag 36 at halfmast, all that is necessary is to unhook or untie the. weight 40 from end of rope 31, tie another piece of rope or the required length to the free end of rope 31 and turn reel 41 so that "flag 36 will descend. However, instead of the mg 36 entering hole39 asin the previous. instance, with the weight 40 removed from" end of rope 31, the

lead ball weights 38 will nowdrag the flag' directly downward outside of the pole, drawing ropes 34 and 31 along as illustratedb'y the'dotted lines in Fig. 1. The leaden ball weights will drop within the circular wire loop 59, attached to middle pole section I9, as shown, see Fig. 13. The wire loop 59 confines the leaden ball weights 38 within it that y will "prevent. the flag from swaying too far outward'from the'pole as will be readily understood. q I 1 In Figs. 11' and 12 are illustrated a modification of the upper end of the revolvable extension pole 22, here numbered, 22A, which in this case has a rounded flanged top 66 as shown which "permits the rope and flag to be easily hauled th'ereover into and out'of the interior'of the hollow flag-pole, thus eliminating the pulley 32, :asillustrated in Figs. 2 and '3, if so desired.' 'A hollow .ball 6| covers the opening 62 in the top of extension pole 22A, preventing entry of rain or snow and incidentally improving the appearance of the pole. The ball 6| is soldered at 63t0 the top of rounded flange 60 as shown and of course revolves with the extension pole 22A. The ball 6| is providedwith a hole '64 near its bottom as illustrated through which the flag 36 is hauled into and out of the hollow poles 22Aandl9 by means of ropes 34 and 31. In this arrangement;'the flag '36 may be hauled into' oroutof either hole 64 or' hole 39, whichever is desired, in fact, it will be readily understood that a multiplicity of flags may be exhibited, either one or several at a time, by tying the flags in series to rope 34 within the hollow flag-pole. i The hollow ball 6| or ball-halves 21 and 28 respectively may be'substituted by other 'orn'amental figures such asan eagle, s' ear-head, etc.,

the structural idea herein being to provide afrom thepole in which case the operating ropes.

wouldpa'ss through a conduitholz shown Erom the foregoing descriptionit will beevident that I- have. evolved a flag-pole; and operating means therefor which provides extreme convenience as it heretofore been necessaryto tie and untie the flag to the rope ends each day, haul the flag up and down the entire length of the pole and tie the rope ends to a cleat as well as to carry the flag to and from the pole each time. Furthermore, it is now also practically impossible for unauthorized persons to tamper with the ropes as they are now inaccessible and incidentally protected from the weather. Also, the flag cannot now become entangled around the flag-pole with a changing wind and the ball or other ornament used for a weather shield, etc., will considerably enhance the general appearance of the flag-pole. And lastly, it is now possible for a child or female person to operate the fiag raising and lowering means.

Various changes may be made in the embodiment of the invention hereinbefore specifically described without departing from or sacrificing the advantages of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A flag-pole and operating means therefor comprising a, hollow fixed pole, a hollow extension pole mounted to the upper end of said fixed pole, a side hole in said extension pole near the lower end thereof, a side opening in and near the lower end of said fixed pole, a rope extending from said lower side opening in the fixed pole up through the hollow interior thereof and on through the hollow extension pole through an upper opening therein and then extending downwards on the outside thereof through the said side hole in the lower part of said hollow extension pole into the interior thereof and down through said hollow fixed pole to the said lower side opening therein, a flag attached to said rope on the outside of said hollow extension pole between the upper and the said lower side openings therein, and means for causing said rope to haul said fiag into said side opening in the lower part of said hollow extension pole.

2. A flag-pole and operating means therefor as in claim 1, said hollow extension pole being revolvable in a vertical axis in relation to said fixed pole.

3. A flag-pole and operating means therefor comprising a, hollow fixed pole, a hollow extension pole mounted to the upper end of said fixed pole, a side opening in and near the lower end of said hollow extension pole, a side opening in and near the lower end of said fixed pole, a rope extending from said lower side opening in the fixed pole up through the hollow interior thereof and on through the hollow extension pole through an upper opening therein and then extending downwards on the outside thereof through the aforesaid side opening in the lower part of said hollow extension pole into the interior thereof and down through said hollow fixed pole to the said lower side opening therein, a flag attached to said rope on the outside of said hollow extension pole bet een the upperanethe said lower side spelling therein, said-hollow extensionpolebeing -revolve.- ble in avertica-l' axis-in relation to-said fixed pole,

and a reel mounted, near the lower sideopeninginsaid'hollow-fixed pole,- one end of said rope being: att ached to said reelwhile theother-en-d of said rope I is attained to a weight-verticallymovabl'e within said hollowfixed pole.

41A flag-pole and operating means therefor oomprisinga hollow-fixed'-pole', a hollow-extension pole rotatably mounted to the upper end of said hollow fixed pole, a side-opening in and nearthe lower part of said'hollowextension pole sufficiently large to admit a, flag in folded condition,- a pulley mounted to the upper end of said hollow extension pole, a rope operating opening in and near the lower part of said hollow fixed pole, a rope extending upward through said fixed pole from said rope operating opening in the lower part of said hollow fixed pole and through said rotatable extension pole and around said pulley to the outside of said rotatable extension pole and through the lower side opening therein and down through said hollow fixed pole to the aforesaid rope operating opening therein, a flag attached to said rope between the said pulley and the said side opening in the lower part of said hollow rotatable extension pole on the outside thereof, and means for operating said rope from said rope operating opening so as to cause said fiag to enter the lower opening in said rotatable hollow extension pole.

5. A flag-pole and operating means therefor as in claim 4, said pulley being covered with a hollow ball, said ball having a hole in the lower part thereof for the passage ofaforesaid rope therethrough.

6. A flag-pole and operating means therefor comprising a hollow pole, a flag flying from the upper part of said pole, a flag-manipulating rope attached to the flag at a middle part of said rope and having the ends of said rope extending therefrom through the hollow interior of said pole to an operating opening in the lower part of said hollow pole, a reel mounted in said operating opening, one of said rope ends being attached to said reel, and the other end of said rope being attached to a weight vertically movable within said hollow pole, a clutch on said reel holding said reel in normally braked position, and a crank adapted to revolve said reel and simultaneously release said braking means during such crank application.

7. A flag-pole and operating means therefor comprising a hollow fixed pole, a hollow extension pole rotatably mounted to the upper end of said hollow fixed pole, a rope operating station located near the lower end of said hollow fixed pole, a flag adapted to fly from the upper part of said rotatable hollow extension pole, and a rope attached to said flag at a middle part of said rope, the ends of said rope extending down through the said rotatable hollow extension pole and the said hollow fixed pole to the said rope operating station.

8. A flag-pole and operating means therefor comprising a fixed hollow pole, a hollow extension pole rotatably mounted to the upper end of said hollow fixed pole, a rope guiding means mounted to the top of said rotatable hollow extension pole, a weather shield attached to the top of said rotatable hollow extension pole and covering said rope guiding means, a normally braked reel mounted to the lower part of said hollow fixed pole, a, side hole in the lower part of said rotatable 1 hollow extension pole; a rope having one end thereof attached to said reel, said rope leading up through the hollow interior of said flxed hollow pole and through said rotatable hollow extension poleover said rope guiding means and downwards therefrom and outside said rotatable hollow extension pole through the aforesaid side hole therein to the interior thereof to a weight movable longitudinally within said fixed hollow pole, a flag attached to said rope on the outside ofsaid rotatable hollow extension pole between said side hole therein and said rope guiding means, and means for revolving said reel so as to manipulate The following references are of record in the file of this patent: V

UNITED STATES PA ENTs I Date,

10 Number Name 964,035 Lombard July 12, 1910 1,547,416 Edwards July 28,1925 1,610,663 Diago Dec. 14, 1926 1,645,645 Davis Oct. 18, 1927 

